One Who Has Achieved Harmony

During the yoga teacher training class I attended last weekend, it was suggested that everyone that comes into your space or your life is there to teach you. This thought gave me a fresh perspective on the guy in a huge truck who tailgated me on my way to the yoga retreat. I thought, “Okay, maybe he showed up to remind me not to look at myself as a victim.” (I drive looking in my rear-view mirror almost constantly, always on the watch for tailgaters and otherwise mean people.)

I learned in this retreat that there are three qualities of consciousness, or energy, called gunas. These gunas are tamas, rajas, and sattva. Things and actions can include a combination of these qualities, but one quality often dominates in any given thing, person, or action.

Tamas is an attribute of lethargy, introversion, inertia, depression, and stillness. Upward and downward movements are also tamasic. When a person is in a tamasic state, they may feel unmotivated, chronically fatigued, shy, and bored. They are not interested in doing anything, and the brain may feel cloudy. Certain foods are tamasic, such as alcohol, meat, processed foods, and white flour. When consumed, these items lead to tiredness and confusion. To find balance when in a tamasic state, breathe, and focus on your inhale as it brings you energy and life force.

Rajas is movement! It is an attribute of desire, excitement, anger, willfulness, and passion. Rajasic foods include all stimulants, such as caffeine and “uppers” as well as very spicy or very sour foods. Maybe not by chance, there is a girl in one of my classes at the university I attend who has a very rajasic energy about her. She is jittery and constantly talking and interrupting the professor. She angers at the drop of a hat, and her eyes are always open so wide that I am afraid they will pop out of her skull. Oh, she grinds her teeth. Every time she opens her mouth, I can't help but roll my eyes. Suddenly, during my yoga retreat, I realized that she was there to teach me. Only after feeling disgusted with her behavior did I realize how much I have in common with her. Only then was I able to see how unattractive my own behavior can be at times. After all, I drink coffee almost every day; I chatter incessantly, and I am rather opinionated, to say the least. I finally saw that moving away from rajas would improve my life and my relations with others. To find balance when in a rajasic state, breathe deeply, and focus on your exhale. This will help you to calm down.

Sattva is the last of the three gunas. Sattva literally translates to mean purity or reality. Sattva brings peace, enlightenment and clarity of thought. Sattvic foods include fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and milk products (only if the cow was well-treated.) These foods are easy to digest, light, and not fattening. They may be sweetened with honey, raw sugar, or other natural sweeteners such as agave. They should not have a large amount of pepper , spice, or salt. A sattvic individual is neither hyperactive nor lazy, but moves in rhythm with the earth. According to the Baghavad Gita, a sattvic person would be friendly, compassionate, all-forgiving, ever content, and free from anxiety, elation, anger, and fear. He (or she) would be one who neither hates nor grieves, one who has achieved harmony.

Remember that those who come into your life or your space are all there to teach you. They may be there to remind you of what you would like to improve in yourself, or they may be an excellent example of the sattvic state of being which we would all like to find in ourselves.

http://www.gobodhiyoga.com/

*Rebecca Sky *